District to replace synthetic turf at Edmonds Stadium, Meadowdale and Mountlake Terrace high schools

The Edmonds School District is moving ahead with plans to replace the synthetic turf at Edmonds Stadium, Mountlake Terrace High School and Meadowdale High School.

The School Board unanimously approved a preliminary budget of $300,000 for the replacement and authorized the District to hire DA Hogan for consultant services for the project.

District voters approved funding for these projects in the 2014 Capital Construction Bond last February.

Edmonds Stadium will see replacement of the turf, track resurfacing and new field lighting. Mountlake Terrace and Meadowdale will have their turf replaced and their tracks resurfaced.

All three projects are scheduled for the summer of 2015. The athletic department has raised scheduling concerns about taking all of the fields out of service at the same time. So construction of one or more of the fields may be delayed until the fall of 2015 or winter of 2016. This issue will be addressed during the design process.

DA Hogan has worked on several projects for the District, including Lynnwood High School and middle school field and field renovations.

The Board also unanimously approved Project and Preliminary Budget Authorization of $200,000 for the Roof Replacement at Cedar Way Elementary School. The school was identified for a roof replacement in the 2012 Capital Levy. The roof will be replaced on all buildings. The District will hire an architectural consulting firm to assess roof conditions and provide a preliminary cost estimate.

The District also received approval from the Board to hire Matthew W. Cockrell and Associates for an environmental insurance and cost recovery matter related to the Maintenance and Transportation property on Alderwood Mall Blvd. The District has owned the property since the early 1960s. During the course of operations pneumatic pistons were used to elevate vehicles for maintenance. Though not known at the time, the pistons leaked a hazardous material, contaminating the site. The District hired Restorical Research in 2013 to assist the District in preparing and undertaking insurance recovery action against insurers who may be liable for the cost of environmental investigation or remediation. Restorical Research recommended Matthew W. Cockrell and Associates to pursue a claim. Payment terms are a 15 percent contingency fee of recoveries.

The Board unanimously approved a Strategic Direction Plan, which the District has worked on with parents, students, partners and community members since the fall.

The plan includes:

  • Effective Learning for All Students
  • Equity of Opportunity
  • P-3rd Grade Early Learning
  • Graduates Who Are Ready for Life

The plan can be accessed here.

The Board also voted unanimously to eliminate the Senior Project as a graduation requirement. The state Legislature removed the senior/culminating project as a graduation requirement during its last legislative session, though it allowed local school boards to keep the requirement if they so desired. A District-wide survey found that 75 percent favored eliminating the requirement.

The District is looking at ways to incorporate some of the benefits of the senior project within other curriculum.

The Board approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the Rotary Club of Lynnwood and the District, which waives facility use fee for its annual Rummage Sale at Meadowdale High School, in exchange for contributions to the District’s Early Learning Program and five elementary programs. The club has a long history of providing grants to five elementary schools and supporting the Early Learning program.

Dates for high school commencement for the 2014-15 were approved.

They are:

  • Scriber Lake High School – June 10, 2015
  • Mountlake Terrace High School – June 11, 2015
  • Edmonds-Woodway High School – June 12, 2015
  • Meadowdale High School – June 13, 2015 (afternoon)
  • Lynnwood High School – June 13, 2015 (evening)

– By David Pan

  1. I just can’t believe it! There are other fields that SHOULD BE TURFED BEFORE these schools are RE-TURFED! HOW OLD is the turf? Will the old turf be used for other schools? Shoreline figured out how to turf all their fields and we just keep returfing the same three.
    I understand we should all attend the board meetings so we are more informed, however since this isn’t always possible, is there a way to find an explanation for this decision?
    In recent months the following decisions have been made: turf THE OLD WOODWAY field which does NOT currently have: enough parking for big tournaments, public restrooms, bleachers, a concession stand and according to two prominent soccer organization reps not enough space on the sidelines for the players to stand, AND NOW, RE-TURF THREE SCHOOLS before other schools get their fields attended to/fixed. This just doesn’t seem right, I am so sad. As I was on my hands and knees helping lay sod at a Edmonds district baseball field last summer and dreaming of it some day being turf, never did I think other schools would be re-turfed first. Apparently reading the fine print of the next District Capital Construction BOND measure and raising a questions before the vote will be paramount.

  2. Jennifer,
    I was at the meeting and would like to address your concerns about why the board and district decided to re turf the fields. The the life span of a turf field, according to our Capital Project Staff, is only 10 years! I was surprised at the short life span however it was explained that in comparison, turf is more similiar to carpet than other hard surfaces. After time, the seams come apart, and the padding underneath wears down, making it unsafe for field users. So it is important to keep our existing turf surfaces updated and safe.

    As for new turf fields, there are several exciting projects coming our way. The Old Woodway Fields will be developed thanks to a partnership with the District, City of Edmonds, and Verdant Health Commission (who contributed $2.5 million!) The cost is signifigantly higher since the sub-surface prep can be quite extensive. This project will be done in phases, but will include 4 soccer/multi-use fields, concessions, restrooms, and seating for spectators. The work is scheduled to begin spring of 2015.

    Also, the recent bond measure passed this spring included $1 million towards new turf fields at Meadowdale Playfields. This will be in partnership with City of Edmonds and City of Lynnwood.

    Please be assured that the board is aware of the high demand put on our sports facilites and the maintenance and upkeep required to keep them safe. These past few years have been tough financially for our district, and we always made education our #1 priority. Unfortunately, some of our facilites and maintenance issues had to take a back seat during that time.

    Thanks for sharing your concerns and feel free to contact me or any of the board for additional information.
    Diana White
    Board President.

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